Category: Featured

Adult and Youth League Roundup: Ducks and Raptors pick up wins. Falcons gain ground without swinging a bat.

Adult and Youth League Roundup: Ducks and Raptors pick up wins. Falcons gain ground without swinging a bat.

Triple-A League

Herts Cardinals almost pulled off The Great Escape in Game Two of their doubleheader away at the Croydon Pirates but came just short with a final score of 12-13. Croydon also won the first game 3-8. The Cardinals drop two places in the standings and are now third, two games back on leaders Bournemouth Bears.

Double-A League

The Herts Ducks  shocked the Double-A League leaders, East London Latin Boys, with an 11-7  away win. This was their first win of the season. 15-year-old Prime  Mencias was the winning pitcher. Read full report by Kumail Jaffer.

Single-A League

There was an All Herts match-up at Basing Hill Ballpark.  The Herts Raptors came out on top sweeping the Herts Eagles 10-7 and 14-6. The winning pitchers were Lee Dunn and Rufus Lloyd. The Raptors are now 4-2 which moves them into second place in the standings, leapfrogging the Herts Ravens who were resting this weekend.

National Baseball League

(photo by Will Baxter)

The Falcons were resting at the weekend but there was drama around the National Baseball League. The Sheffield Bruins were 1 out away from winning at the high-flying Essex Arrows, but the Arrows came back to win it in extra innings. London Capitals caused an upset splitting their series with the league leading London Mets. All this means that the Falcons have gained ground on fourth-placed Sheffield Bruins and are just two games back on them now.  Third-placed Capitals stay ahead of the Falcons by 4 games. The top four teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the NBL postseason playoffs in August.

The Herts Falcons are away at the Mets next. Game starts 2PM, Saturday, 10 June, Finsbury Park.

Herts Youth Baseball League

(photo by Rob Jones)

There was just one youth league game on Saturday in the Under-11 division.  The Herts Cardinals U11 came from behind to win 6-5 and close the gap on first-placed Herts Londoners U11.

Link to league standings of the various adult and youth leagues

Ducks dazzle in breakthrough win

Ducks dazzle in breakthrough win

The Herts Ducks have claimed their first win of the season, beating East London Latin Boys 11-7 on Sunday (4th June). Our correspondent Kumail Jaffer was in the thick of it, and has this report:


THE DUCKS are in flight.

Herts’ brand new AA team have won their first game at this level – 11-7 away at the league leaders, East London Latin Boys.

Ducks dazzle in breakthrough win


The season so far has involved a series of close losses as many of the Ducks players continue to acclimatise to the AA division. But a fierce team effort in the opening game of Sunday’s doubleheader put Herts on the board against a previously unbeaten opponent.

Evan Robins and Miguel Gibson gave the Ducks a fast start before young Prime Mencias pitched the first of what would be three astounding innings.

Limiting the Latin Boys to just four runs in his outing, he gave the Ducks a platform to launch their offensive game.

The pressure was clearly getting to the hosts as they gave up a couple of unforced runs due to throwing and fielding errors.

In the top of the third, hits from Gibson, Kumail Jaffer and a brilliant double from Mo Abdule brought four runners home.

That gave Herts a 7-4 lead going into the 4th, before Taysir Barakat took to the mound. The wily relief pitcher has been working on his fastball for years – and it came to fruition here as he drew a number of ground balls and fly outs for the disciplined Ducks to gobble up.


It was crucial – the Ducks’ bats were shut down in the fifth, meaning Barakat had to come up with the save.


A grounder to second got the first out. A run came through, but the Ducks remained calm and focused. Outs two and three came quickly, courtesy of some great first-base play from Jake Spicer.
And that was that.

Rumours of a second game did emerge — in which the Ducks got hammered but discovered that Robins could throw some heat– but they could not be independently verified.

Adult and Youth League Roundup (27-28 May)

Adult and Youth League Roundup (27-28 May)

Only 3 of the 7 Herts adult league teams were in action at the weekend.

National Baseball League

The Herts Falcons are back in the playoff race after a win over the Essex Arrows – a team featuring a number of former MLB Minor League players (read full report and box scores).

(photo by Rob Jones)

Double-A League
The Herts Ducks lost narrowly to crosstown rivals the Meteors. They are still searching for their first win of the season.

Single-A League
Similar to their Opening Day encounter, the Herts Ravens and Milton Keynes Bucks produced another two nail-biting games.  This time the Ravens came out on top winning 7-6. The other game of this doubleheader was suspended after extra innings with the score tied at 5-5. We will have to wait to find out if the game will be completed when the two teams meet again on July 2nd or whether it will be recorded as a tie under BBF Rule 21.

Herts Youth Baseball League
Only one game in the U11 division which Herts Londoners won 8-6 against the Herts Cardinals (U11). A grandslam home run by Alexis Marriaga on his debut proved to be decisive.

  • Scores from the weekend’s adult and youth league games involving Herts teams (view)
  • BBF Adult League Standings (view)
  • Herts Youth Baseball League Standings (view)
  • Next games (view)
Falcons back in NBL playoff race after walk-off win

Falcons back in NBL playoff race after walk-off win

There was late inning drama at Grovehill Ballpark once again. This time the Herts Falcons came out on top after a rejuvenated performance against the Essex Arrows who are one of the leading teams this season winning 8 out of their first 10 games and who feature a number of players with experience in MLB minor league teams.

(photo by Will Baxter)

Alex Deacon was the starting pitcher for the Falcons in the first game of this doubleheader. He allowed only 6 hits in his 6 innings of work, striking out 6. On another day, this may have been enough but, at this hitter-friendly ballpark, 4 out of those 6 hits were home runs. Still, the Falcons maintained their composure and gradually worked their way back into the game.  Phil Clark responded with a solo home run of his own to pull one back.  Two more runs came in after a hit from Dan Moran and a wild pitch which made the score 4-3 to the visitors going into the sixth inning. But it wasn’t enough as the Arrows took the game beyond the Falcons with a final score of 9-4.

Game One Box Scores

Going into the second game, there was a real concern for Herts fans that, if they lose the second game, the Falcons may drift too far behind the teams chasing a place in the National Baseball League (NBL) postseason playoffs.

For a team featuring so many young players, it was expected that heads would drop but, last week and this week, the team’s confidence and performance levels have risen noticeably and the players have demonstrated an ability to focus on the task at hand and not be affected by the difficult start of the season.

Cole Nakazawa (left) went 4-for-4 and Ben Morris (right) 2-for-4 on a good day for Herts bats (photo by Will Baxter)

They took an early 2-0 lead on hits from Cole Nakazawa, Ben Morris, Cris Hiche and Phil Clark. 3 runs for Essex put the home team on the back foot again but they retook the lead with 2 runs of their own in the fourth inning.  Back came the Arrows late in the game to take a 5-4 lead going into the final inning. For the fans who stayed to the end, it felt like it would be another gut-wrenching loss as the Falcons were about to bat with 3 outs remaining.

Back-to-back doubles by Tasuku Ishihara and Cole Nakazawa tied the game. Players and fans in the ballpark were on their feet. A Ben Morris single put the winning run on third base.  Arrows’ manager, Eduardo Rodrigues, made the strategic decision to walk Mike Cresswell intentionally and load the bases. It looked like that decision may pay off as their relief pitcher Galvez Rodriguez struck out Phil Clark for the second out. All the pressure fell on Herts third baseman, Jack Warrington, and he delivered the walk-off hit which sparked wild celebrations as the Falcons bench cleared and started chasing him around the field.

The losing streak is over. The release for the players, coaching staff and fans was palpable with so much pressure on the team to win this game.

Game Two Box Scores

(photo by Will Baxter)

Starting pitcher, Will Clayton, had his best game of the season so far allowing only 5 hits and 2 earned runs in his 5.1 innings of work. The win was awarded to Daniel Moran who did not falter in the final 1.2 innings.

The Falcons are still 3 games back on the fourth-placed Sheffield Bruins but have closed the gap on the third-placed London Capitals who were swept in their two-game series against the Mets.  This win for the Falcons against one of the top NBL teams was not factored in anyone’s calculations and is a major boost for them going into the business end of the season.

Between the two games Herts fans took part in The Race involving kids and adults competing against each other for a prize. 3 foul balls were caught during the game earning those fans a hot dog each (photo by Will Baxter)

A large number of fans came out to support the Falcons, including club legends, Geoff Hare and former manager, Stuart Boast, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The next eight games for the Falcons are on the road and we expect a good number of Herts baseball fans to go and support the team at these away games starting with the trip to the league leading London Mets on 10 June at Finsbury Park.  First pitch is at 2pm. The next chance to see the Falcons at home is on 16 July when they welcome the London Latin Boys.

Battling Falcons performance but no upset

Battling Falcons performance but no upset

The Herts Falcons put on a much improved performance away at the Essex Arrows but it was not enough to cause a major shock against one of the pace-setters in the National Baseball League this season.

Falcons starting pitcher Jack McCarthy limited the Arrows to only five hits in his five innings on the mound which gave his team a chance in the first game of this doubleheader. But they struggled to find a way past Essex’s pitcher, German Obando, who was in command from the start. In this fast-moving game which was completed in 1 hour and 53 minutes, the Arrows gradually extended their lead to 4-0. 

It wasn’t until the final inning of the game that the Herts offence came to life. The top three players of their batting line-up all reached base and clawed one run back against the Essex relief pitcher who came in to close the game.  A single from Matt Moran loaded  the bases with one out and the Herts players and travelling  fans were on their feet sensing an opportunity to win this game when everyone had written their chances off.  

Arrows manager, Eduardo Rodrigues, took urgent action and brought relief pitcher Juan Farrach in to put out the fire which he did by recording two quick outs. Final score 4-1.

Game One Box Scores

The second game of the doubleheader did not have the late inning drama of the first but the visitors performed much better than the 2-12 score line would suggest. 

Game Two Box Scores

photo by Will Baxter

The Falcons will certainly want to carry the positive signs from today to the next game, including the five hits in the second game, as well as the successful relief appearance by Alex Deacon in the first game.

The team is now three games back from the fourth-placed Sheffield Bruins who won a thriller in extra innings against the London Capitals. The Falcons are not out of the playoff chase and their performances indicate that they are gathering momentum, but they need to start picking up wins before the rest of the pack pulls away beyond their reach.

Their next game is at home this Sunday, 28 May, once again against the Essex Arrows. First pitch is at 1pm at Grovehill Ballpark and tickets are currently on sale here.

Setback for Herts Falcons in the playoff race

Setback for Herts Falcons in playoff race

The Herts Falcons lost both games of their home series against the Sheffield Bruins which could prove to be critical at the end of the season.

Before the games, the Falcons were in fifth place, one game ahead of the Bruins who were sixth in the National Baseball League (NBL) standings. They had identified this series as key not only to pull away from the Bruins but to leapfrog the fourth-placed London Latin Boys and go into the playoff zone.

Game One was tied at 1-1 after three innings but Herts had a repeat of the previous week where a couple of bad innings allowed the opponent to run away with the game.  Player manager, Cris Hiche hit a solo home run late in the game but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback and the game ended with a final score of 2-12. The winning pitcher for Sheffield was Elbis Avila who pitched a complete game allowing only four hits.

Game One Box Scores

While game one proved to be one-sided, the second game of the doubleheader provided intense late inning drama. The ballpark saw the highest attendance of the season so far, and those who stayed to the end were kept on the edge of their seats.

The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead and seemed to be in control but a crushing grand slam home run by Andrei Apostoaei put the Falcons on the back foot again. They tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the third but the Bruins responded immediately with another four runs in the fourth.

Patient at bats combined with hits by Cris Hiche, Fraser Duggan and Tetsuro Shinkawa brought the Falcons right back in the game. They loaded the bases with two outs in the final inning and the score 9-10 but Sheffield managed to get the final out and sweep the series.

Game Two Box Scores

The game saw a large number of kids and families in attendance who were seeing a baseball game in person for the first time. The children played catch with their parents and many showed interest in coming to try baseball with the Herts youth teams. Growing the fan base and the Herts youth baseball programme was one of the aims of the club’s NBL Pilot Project. Will one of these boys and girls go on to play for the Herts Falcons in the NBL in a few years?

The team’s next game is on Sunday, 21 May, away at the Essex Arrows who are currently occupy second place in the NBL table. This is followed by the Falcons’ next home game on Sunday, 28 May, when the Arrows will come to Grovehill Ballpark. Tickets for the game are on sale here.

Herts Falcons manager Cris Hiche will have the task of lifting the players after this setback. Qualification for the postseason Playoffs is still in their own hands, but they need to start picking up wins, especially in the key matchups against direct opponents in the Playoff race.

Flying together: Ducks lose nail-biter

Flying together: Ducks lose nail-biter

Formosa Islanders 21-20 Herts Ducks

by Kumail Jaffer

“You guys refused to die.”

One off-hand but sincere comment from the Formosa Islanders manager summed up the tenacity and grit the Herts Ducks showed in their inaugural Double-A fixture on Sunday.

The Formosa Islanders are a formidable outfit, having come through the Single-A ranks with their high-energy approach.

The Ducks were not intimidated at all as they played out this epic fixture at Wormwood Scrubs – but fell short, at the last, of a miraculous comeback.

Flying together: Ducks lose nail-biter

The home side took on the Ducks’ ace Alex Trautman to score four in the first inning – but the young pitcher locked it down in his remaining innings to limit the Islanders’ hit-and-run approach.

On the other end, the Ducks were going steadily, if unspectacularly. 8-5 down after the fourth inning, the Ducks needed something special to gain control of the game.

The team had done well to drive up the opposing pitcher’s count with every at bat, meaning walks were becoming more regular. Four in a row brought home Kumail Jaffer, Prime Mencias, Alex Trautman, and Max Trautman. Solid hits from Evan Robins scored Bradley Charalambous and Jake Spicer before Alex Trautman returned to the batter’s box with the bases loaded.

On a full count, the ace pitcher launched it well beyond the left field fence to score a grand slam and bring the Ducks’ total for the inning to double digits.

He followed it up by allowing just a single run through in the next inning, putting the Ducks firmly in control. But after a score draw in the sixth, the Islanders got back into the game with a monster 7th-inning rally to put them 18-17 ahead.

But the Ducks never stopped quacking. Three runs at the top of the 9th saw them needing to lock down the Formosa side to take the game to extra innings.

It wasn’t to be.

But the spirit shown away from home against a very solid outfit is encouraging.

Captain Brad Charalambous said: “I am so unbelievably proud of the Ducks for coming together and battling it out with the Islanders.

“They are a well established and respected team and having the opportunity to play them was an excellent chance to test where we are in the pecking order.

“I’m proud of my Ducks for flying together and staying In the thick and thin of such a tough game.

“Like Henry Ford says, ‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.'”

Falcons back in the playoff race after win over Latin Boys

Falcons back in the playoff race after win over Latin Boys

The Herts Falcons played two games away at the East London Latin Boys on Coronation weekend and picked up their first win of the season.

Both teams went into this series with a record of no wins and four losses from their first four games, desperate for a win against a direct opponent in the battle to finish in the top four places.

The team from Hertfordshire took a 6-1 lead after three innings, which included two runs scored on two balks by pitcher Jose Martinez. This was only the second time that the Falcons have had a lead in a game this season but this time they held onto it to the end.

A 2-run home run by Ben Sporleder in the fifth inning and his 2-run double in the sixth extended the lead to 10-1.

photo by Will Baxter

Player-manager, Cristobal Hiche (pictured above), also went deep with a 2-run home run of his own to give his team’s pitching staff and defence a little more breathing room going into the closing innings of the game.

Starting pitcher Dan Moran was effective throughout, allowing only three hits in five and two-third innings. Relief pitcher, Tasuku Ishihara, came on to strike out Jeffrey Aguilar for the final out of the game with a final score of 12-2.

The team struggled defensively  in the first four games of the season but on this occasion the fielding was exemplary without any errors. It included two double plays involving middle-infielders Dylan Lawler and Tetsuro Shinkawa and several spectacular plays by left fielder, Ben Morris, who made his Herts debut.

In the second game the Falcons struggled with the bats against Latin Boys’ pitcher, Jorge Luis, who allowed only one hit and struck out 11 batters. They also struggled defensively allowing 13 runs in the second and third innings and there was no coming back from that. The final score 0-15.

Both teams will probably be happy to have picked up a win each which lifted them above the Sheffield Bruins into fourth and fifth place and very much in the thick of the battle for the four playoff places.

After the game, Falcons infielder, Rene Torcato, said that “the team will aim to take the positive momentum from today into the next game at home versus the Sheffield Bruins on Sunday, 14 May, which is another key series in the playoff race”.

Tickets for that game are currently on sale here.

BBF Youth Super League starts this Saturday, 6 May

BBF Youth Super League starts this Saturday, 6 May

The BBF Youth Super League starts this Saturday, 6 May. It’s a new competition launched by the British Baseball Federation (BBF) this year covering the Under-15 and Under-11 age groups. It will feature teams from Herts, London Mets and LYBL.

The Youth Super League standings will determine the seeding for the National Youth Baseball Championships later in the year.

Each of the participating clubs is expected to host a game day which will adopt a round-robin game format.

BBF Youth Super League - Order of Play (Sat, 6 May)

DateHomeTime/ResultsAwayLeagueField

Herts Baseball Club will host the first round of games at Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead, this Saturday, 6 May.

Food and drinks will be on sale during the event including hot dogs, burgers, nachos and other ballpark favorites.

Players who haven’t registered to play with the Herts youth league teams this season, can still register in time to be added to the teams for the next round of Youth Super League games.

For more information, contact us.

Herts gets first ever PA announcer

Herts gets first ever PA announcer

The official National Baseball League Opening Day at Grovehill Ballpark on Saturday marked not only a big step for Herts Baseball Club’s NBL Pilot Project. It also marked the arrival of Gabriel Fidler as the club’s first ever official announcer. Best known as Chair of the British Baseball Hall of Fame and founder of Extra Innings UK, Fidler began his career as colour commentator for perennial NAIA World Series contender Lee University in the U.S.

At Lee, Fidler completed a joint B.A. in broadcasting and history, working for the university’s Sports Information Department under local legend and inductee to multiple Halls of Fame, George Starr. Among his many duties over six years with Flames Athletics, Fidler travelled around the U.S. with Lee’s baseball and basketball teams as its full-time radio broadcaster alongside Starr. He also served as the regular P.A. for the four-time national champion women’s football side, and the men’s football team, which produced two MLS draftees.

Since then, Fidler – who was raised in Suffolk before moving to the U.S. – has held roles as public address announcer for the 2018 NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional, hosted at the Cape Cod League’s Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Mass., and for four sports at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, including the Grand Re-Opening of its Hendy Baseball Field. He also served as a guest on numerous radio programmes and baseball podcasts in the U.K. and U.S.

At the 2019 London Series, Fidler returned to the mic alongside Chris Knoblock as the duo broadcast the London Cup, which featured multiple British Little League squads playing in the shadow of the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Stadium. As part of his role with BaseballSoftballUK, he also coordinated London Series’ legacy events, including media coordination for the Elite Tournament at Farnham Park, a press conference with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and USA Baseball’s Rick Riccobono to announce the launch of Fun At Bat in East London schools, and various other activities.

‘We want to make NBL game days an amazing experience for fans, and this is a brilliant new addition for the club,’ noted Herts President Aspi Dimitrov. ‘Gabriel has long had contacts with Herts, and we are excited that he is taking on this role.’

Fidler has a connection to Herts Baseball, as he co-founded Durham University’s baseball team in 2016 with Will Zucker, then a rising prospect for Herts and Under-15 selection for Great Britain. Zucker, of course, is now Herts’ Co-Director of Youth Baseball and has since suited up for the GB U23 squad. Under their leadership, Durham played in three countries in its first season, sent two squads to the 2016 Spring National University Baseball Championship (NUBC), and claimed the 2016 Autumn and 2018 Spring NUBC titles with its first team.

‘I am thrilled to join Herts as public address announcer in time for Opening Day and the launch of its ambitious NBL Pilot Project,’ remarked Fidler. ‘I first became aware of Herts through Will and am fortunate to count Aspi as a friend now as well. With the return of MLB clubs to Britain for this year’s London Series and the success of Great Britain Baseball at the WBC, enthusiasm for baseball in the U.K. is at an all-time high. As the sport develops further in Britain, Herts is positioned to take a leading role and I look forward to playing a small part in its endeavours.’

As a credentialled journalist, Fidler has also reported live from numerous top baseball events, including the 2016 MLB Battlegrounds in Hyde Park, the 2017 World Baseball Classic and its Brooklyn Qualifier [pictured above with Great Britain Coach Trevor Hoffman, a U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame member], the 2018 Under-23 World Cup, and the 2020 Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifiers for both baseball and softball. In fact, he has not long returned from on-the-ground coverage of the 2023 WBC, where he witnessed the game-by-game build-up to the electrifying final showdown between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

The official Opening Day of the 2023 National Baseball League season for the Herts Falcons saw the club host the London Mets, six-time consecutive national champions. The doubleheader was the first event of the club’s new Pilot Project and featured some of the fun and festivities of Opening Day to which baseball fans everywhere look forward. Fans can purchase tickets for all home games on hertsbaseball.com.